


We did it for them, now I do it for you

by havsgast



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Creativitwins, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 05:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20540924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havsgast/pseuds/havsgast
Summary: Prompt: Remus wants to be Roman's knight whenever they're fighting in the imagination, but Roman didn't realize how far Remus was willing to go to keep him safe





	We did it for them, now I do it for you

**Author's Note:**

> guess what Steven Universe song I drew inspiration from

Once upon a time, they had been one. Once upon a time, they had eagerly led the others on adventures in the Imagination, with the promise that they would protect them. Once upon a time, they had been King Romulus.

Then the split had happened, and everything had changed.

What had once been one, strong king split into a pure prince and a demented duke. Into fairytales and nightmares. Into the wanted and the unwanted. Into one who remembered nothing, and one who remembered everything.

Remus had long since forgiven his brother for not remembering being King. It was not Roman’s fault that Morality was young and they were too grey for his black-and-white vision. It was not Roman that pushed him away, towards the subconscious part of Thomas’ mind. It had been Roman who called him a Dark side, but Remus could understand that. It was the words of someone who didn’t remember being grey.

What Remus couldn’t forgive was the way Roman rushed into danger whenever they were together in the Imagination. Of course, Roman did not remember being a protector, a knight for the others. It should not be an excuse. Roman was the Prince, the light, the wanted one. He couldn’t afford to be hurt, but Remus could.

Roman would be missed. Remus wouldn’t, except by perhaps Deceit. It seemed logical then, for Remus to protect Roman no matter what it took. For all that he might imagine it, he never wanted to see his brother drenched in blood.

So he put his mace aside and took up a sword. _Stance wide, body lowered, stay balanced, eyes on the danger._ He could do it. He could be Roman’s knight. _Concentrate. You want him to live. Give everything that you have, everything that you are. **Do it for him.**_

~

It had started as most of their adventures in the Imagination did - with a throwaway line that had grown into a full-blown idea. Remus had said something about wanting to know what it would be like to be hugged to death by a python, more to flirt with Deceit than an actual thought. Roman must have had rewatched Tarzan recently as he locked onto the idea and spiralled from there. Remus had affectionally rolled his eyes and dragged his brother into the Imagination to create a jungle. It had been a while since they had created something they could show the others, and his thoughts had still been on Deceit. A jungle seemed like something that the reptilian side would appreciate.

He had expected a tree-house, exotic flowers, maybe a path hidden behind a waterfall. Just being able to create and explore without any input from the others were usually enough. There would still be hidden dangers as no adventure was complete without it, but it would be something small that they could laugh about afterwards. The true dangers usually happened when Roman was frustrated or Remus lost control of what was just thoughts, and what he actually wanted. With Roman in a good mood and with Remus focused on creating poison dart frogs, the sound of something making its way through the trees had been a surprise.

“Do you hear that?” Remus looked over to where Roman was weaving liana vines into bridges between the trees.

“Did you create something?” Roman asked, looking away from the bridges to meet Remus’ eyes. The worry was easy to see, even if Roman tried to hide it.

“Nothing that big.” Remus held up his arm, the colourful poison dart frogs standing out against the dark fabric. He hadn’t meant for them to climb over him, but he didn’t mind. It was always fun with new sensations.

“Then... “ Roman trailed off. If it wasn’t one of them, that only left one option. Well, two, but Thomas rarely imagined anything strongly enough without their help. The chances that he was behind the big creature were… infinitesimal, as Logan might say.

“A nightmare creature escaped the subconscious,” Remus helpfully filled in, once it was clear that Roman wasn’t going to finish the sentence. The subconscious wasn’t a fun place, so he could understand wanting to escape, but the nightmare creatures were mindless and that made them too dangerous. If they didn’t get rid of them in the Imagination, they would be able to reach the Mindscape, and that was a catastrophe too gruesome even for him.

“Yes, that.” Roman glared at him. Remus smiled back before turning to look towards the source of the sound. They really should get prepared to fight. Or preferably, he would get prepared to fight and Roman would take shelter, but that never happened.

The sword he summoned didn’t feel right in his hand the way his mace did, and it never would, but it was more effective when he wanted to protect. From the sound behind him, he could only assume that Roman had summoned his sword as well. Just in time too, as that’s when a head broke through the trees, snapping at him.

Remus jumped back just in time to avoid being caged in the creature’s mouth.

“Are you fucking kidding me!” Roman exclaimed behind him. It took Remus a moment to know what he meant, but when he did, he agreed with the sentiment. They were being attacked by a giant python.

“I don’t actually want to be hugged to death!” Remus shrieked. He slowly walked backwards, making sure that he would stand in front of Roman when the python made to attack again.

“So, what do you know about pythons?” Roman asked. It would have been conversational if not for the hurried way the words were spoken.

“They’re constructors, but they have teeth that curve inward meant to grab onto their prey. This one can either bite us or cage us in its mouth if we don’t watch out.”

“So avoid the head then. Okay.”

Remus watched as Roman ran past him, sword prepared. Something cold coiled in his stomach at the sight, but he pushed the feeling down. He had to protect. Nothing else mattered as long as Roman stayed unharmed. With that in mind, Remus took one grounding breath before he ran after his brother.

They fell into a rhythm of attacking and evading, their footwork almost like a dance. Remus pushed himself to be faster, to attack more, to keep Roman a safe distance away from the teeth that wanted to trap them. He knew that Roman would be frustrated with him afterwards, knew that Roman assumed that Remus found him weak. It didn’t matter if Roman got mad at him though. Remus was prepared to die if Roman could be safe.

He really hoped that he wouldn’t die though. Could sides even die? They could be hurt, but they healed fast. Maybe they reformed. Maybe someone new took their place.

“Remus, watch out!”

His head snapped towards Roman, even as he jumped out of the way of the python’s head. The cold thing in his stomach uncoiled and spread as he realised their mistake. They had forgotten about the python’s body, and it was moving to constrict Roman. A normal python would suffocate its victim, but a giant one… broken bones wouldn’t be out of the question.

Remus didn’t think as he threw away his sword and sprinted towards his brother. He needed Roman out of the way, needed to save his brother from the danger. He could see nothing but Roman’s face as it came closer, and then how it twisted into bewilderment as Remus pushed him, hard. Just in time too, as the python wrapped around him, squeezing, squeezing, squeezing until he couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

It was a good thing that his life didn’t flash before his eyes because he suspected it would have been a rather lacklustre sight.

And then there was no longer a python holding him up, and Remus felt himself falling. He wasn’t even aware that the python had lifted him, had no idea when his feet had left the ground. His body felt like a rattle of broken bones when it landed, though his landing was more like a sack of flour. Hah… Flour made of ground-up bones… now that was a thought. He’d have to bake something for Patton.

Why did he taste iron if he hadn’t eaten anything?

“Remus, please tell me that you’re okay!” Roman demanded. It was a very sad thing to demand. Remus blinked at him, eyes unfocused at first.

Oh. That was why he tasted iron. Internal bleeding.

“Roman…” Remus coughed. His lungs must be collapsing, having been pierced by his broken ribs. He wanted to say that he was okay, but he couldn’t. He had always been brutally honest after all. “If I don’t reform… or if I do, but without my memories…”

“I know, I know, I’ll tell Deceit that you loved him,” Roman promised, tears streaming down his cheeks as he cradled Remus’ body against his chest. When had Roman sat down? Was the python dead? Everything felt muddled; as if the world was moving through molasses. What had he been saying? What was Roman saying?

Oh. Deceit. It hurt so much, but Remus still forced himself to give a weak laugh. Of course, that’s were Roman’s thought would go, the romantic…

“That’s not it.” He smiled, even if he knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant sight. There was blood dripping from his lips and down his chin. “I love _you_, my stupid brother.”

As everything started to drift away, he swore that he heard Roman sobbing _I love you too._

**Author's Note:**

> one day I'll be able to write action, but today is not that day
> 
> find me @ loveceit on tumblr


End file.
